Make Ahead and Freeze Meals

[2rocky]

Looking for Ideas BEYOND Chili, Soup and Stew.

Plan to Freeze in Ziploc bags, Thaw day of and and Reheat in Dutch oven or on 2 burner Camp stove.

Feel free to link to other threads I may have missed.

 

[TheJason]

Sweet and sour pork

Gumbo

Lasagna (freeze, wrap in foil, unwrap and put in dutch oven)

Spaghetti and meatballs

 

[HSi-ESi]

Here's one I like. Kind of comes out like shredded or pulled elk.

3-4 lbs of elk meat (cubed into about 1 inch squares).
1.5 to 2 Red Onions, diced
0.5 cups of Paprika

Saute Red Onion in oil until translucent. Transfer the onions to a crock pot. Brown the meat in the remaining oil (work in batches, don't crowd the pan). Transfer browned meat into the crock pot. Add paprika and mix well.

Add some water to the crock pot and set to lowest cooking setting. Cooking time varies (8 to 10 hours). You'll know it's done when the meat just falls apart.

Take a potatoe-masher and work over the meat until all of the meat is the same consistency. The onions will have completely disintegrated at this point.

Transfer the meat to a disposable aluminum pan. Add about 1/3 cup of Cider Vinegar. Salt and pepper to taste. At this point you can add some additional flavor/spice if you want.

If you have a smoker, I like to put the meat into the smoker for 30 minutes to an hour. Everything is already cooked, so I keep it at low temps (below 130). Just use the smoke to add flavor. I've used apple and hickory with success.

Then transfer to your Ziploc bags and freeze. I love it on sandwiches, but you can do burrito's, etc with it too.

 

[Mac7]

Have done chicken mole, chicken teriyaki, BBQ pulled pork, smoked brisket, and chile verde. All were good after a long day hunting. There was a good thread on this a few years ago will see if I can find it.

 

[ScottP]

First different thing that comes to mind is tamales. Kind of a PIA to make, but if you do a huge batch of them using your favorite game (we've used bear and venison), they freeze well and make a good meal.

I've also done fajitas in the boundary waters for the first night or two of the trip, but in a fall hunting camp with cooler you're set. Pre-cook your meat of choice and freeze. You can pre-chop and freeze your veggies (in foil packs if you are using camp fire) or just ziplock if you use pan+stove. Of course you could pre-cook the veggies as well, but I like to cook them up on spot.

 

[Mac7]

Here is one old thread with a link in it to another. Was thinking there was a longer thread but might be thinking of another board.

http://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/showthread.php?t=252255

 

[Beartooth83]

I know you were asking about making "heat up meals" in ziplock bags, but I thought I'd throw this one out there. I think I'm going to get one of these and make slow cooked pork and beef roast right on the spot. It would also work well to heat up those pre-made ziplock meals.

http://www.coleman.com/product/roadtripreg-portable-propane-cooker-silver/9935-B52#

 

[Redwood]

I like to make beef stroganoff. Freeze in a double ziploc, submerge in hot water to heat up while boiling your noodles.

 

[DWarcher]

I always go with anything that I can slow cook or braise as they tend to reheat much better.

Hank has some very good ones on his website: http://honest-food.net/wild-game/venison-recipes/venison-stews/

The Burgoo, Goulash and Piquante are three of my favorites.

 

[Bulldog0156]

Breakfast burritos are always a good item.

 

[naturebob]

+1 for breakfast Burrito's. My Wife makes a Awesome Chicken and Noodle Cassarole from scratch i allways take.......BOB!

 

[Devil Diver Down]

Red chili beef. Not too spicy or you'll be howling with the coyotes at sunrise.

 

[sagebrush]

I'll be spending 3 weeks in CO chasing mule deer and 3 weeks in AZ chasing elk. I always try to cook ahead and freeze and have many of the dinners already mentioned on my list. Here's a couple more:
Orange zest chicken. Chop up boneless skinless chicken thighs into bite size pieces, stir fry in olive oil and sesame oil until browned, add in green onion chopped into pieces 1 to 1 1/2 inches in length and use the entire onion stalk and all. When the onion starts to get soft, add in 2/3 of the orange zest sauce. Mix a tablespoon of cornstarch into the remaining orange zest sauce and add to the pot. Add a cup of peanuts. Cook until slightly thickened. The dish will thicken up once frozen. Orange zest sauce: juice from 3 oranges, zest from one orange, 1/4 cup sake, 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup rice vinegar, 1 pressed clove of garlic, 1 pressed piece of fresh ginger about the same of a garlic clove and some red chili flakes. Serve over rice.
Antelope and noodles: Brown a 2-3 lb antelope roast on all 6 sides, toss into a crock pot with 2 cups of strong beef broth and cook for 4-6 hours. Make a roux from butter and flour and cook until bubbly, strain the crock pot liquid into the roux, whisking constantly. Thin the gravy with milk until very thin. Again, the gravy will thicken quite a bit when frozen. Season with salt and fresh ground pepper. Strain the liquid from a can of corn and add in the corn. Flake the roast into the gravy. Make a big batch of egg noodles and mix together.

 

[Khunter]

Red chili beef. Not too spicy or you'll be howling with the coyotes at sunrise.

A staple except for the beef part. Mine is always elkdeerlope chili in some game meat combo. In a god year it has moose.

Also do green chili, made with a pile of roasted chiles, and aformentioned meat, plus potatoes and onion.

Then you can alternate each day.

 

[Khunter]

Second to vacuum bags, The rectangular ziploc brand disposable containers are a great option in lieu of ziplocs. Stack into a cooler great and seem to stay frozen better, and not leak is a benefit.

Another of the old threads on ca food topic...
http://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/showthread.php?p=2199372#post2199372

 

[firefranco]

Pre-made frozen meals work great.

Pasta made from venison Italian sausage. Take an extra can of sauce to keep it moist when reheating.

Home made wild turkey soup is easy to warm up and great on those cold fall/winter days.

Most meals I freeze in zip-lock bags. Where I have a fire with coals I will freeze some meals (ravioli, pasta, roast meats work great) in heavy foil pans add a little white or blush wine to keep moist and drink the rest of the bottle!

I pack the meals in Styrofoam or dry ice approved ice chests and they will stay frozen for days. Just need to remember to take the a meal out before you head out to hunt that day.